2017 Entrance Ceremony
This is the speech given at the 2017 entrance ceremony.
April 7, 2009
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Chief Hiroyuki Ohno
Congratulations to all of you who have been accepted into Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations. I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to your families and all those involved who have supported you up until now.
There are 325 new students in the Faculty of Agriculture and 639 in the Faculty of Engineering, for a total of 964 undergraduate students. The university's graduate school consists of four departments: Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, and the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, and if we include the Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science in collaboration with Waseda University, which is established in the Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, there are 661 new students in the master's, master's, and Specialist degree programs, and 102 students in the doctoral program. In addition, there are a total of 67 international students from all over the world, including Asia, Africa, the United States, and Europe, and the total number of new students, including all Faculty & Graduate Schools students this year,
There are 1,727 people in total. This year's new students will be good friends who will help each other and improve each other for their future. Even after graduation and completion, you will be able to do a lot of people who will be with you for the rest of your life through research and work. We hope that you will enjoy campus life at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and build relationships that will have a positive impact on each other.
Throughout its long history of more than 140 years since its foundation, the University has consistently made every possible effort to achieve its mission of "realizing a society that is in harmony with nature and can continue to develop culturally, economically, and environmentally in a sustainable manner" in the two fields of agriculture and engineering, which are the backbone of industry, as well as in their interdisciplinary fields. To this end, we have launched and are actively promoting a variety of new initiatives to strengthen our cutting-edge research capabilities to compete with the world, to collaborate with industry, and to nurture advanced innovation leaders, taking advantage of our university's characteristic of taking on challenges flexibly and boldly with conviction, without being bound by preconceived notions or frameworks. We are also promoting many other programs. For example, preparations are steadily underway for a three-university collaboration with the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and the University of Electro-Communications, as well as the establishment of a graduate school with Iwate University (Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences). In addition, the university itself is actively reforming its organization and collaborating with other institutions and universities at home and abroad. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology continues to make progress, characterized by careful education and advanced research.
Now, to all the first-year undergraduate students who have been admitted to Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. First of all, please be aware that education at university is very different from education up to high school. Up until high school, most education consisted of absorbing and understanding the basic knowledge taught by teachers. There, you were expected to arrive at the same answer as everyone else. However, at university, students are expected to think independently and take a proactive stance to create new knowledge by fully utilizing the knowledge they have. In addition, in order to be successful in society, you are also expected to demonstrate your individuality, so you need to arrive at answers and proposals that are different from others. To do this, it is important that you are willing to challenge the unknown based on a wide range of knowledge. University will help you grow. It is up to you to make the effort to grow. Please draw your dreams for the future, spare no effort to make those dreams a reality, and study hard. If each of you firmly cultivates this attitude during your time at this university, challenges to the unknown will become research and development that leads to innovation. After completing your four years of undergraduate study, you will likely choose to pursue different paths, such as continuing on to higher education or finding employment, but you will be able to excel in whatever path you choose.
On the other hand, those of you who have entered graduate school have firmly acquired this basic attitude, and have entered a more specialized research students in order to further improve yourself. However, while mastering your specialty, you must also acquire a wide range of common sense and culture, and have a wide variety of perspectives that are broad and comprehensive. Many companies are looking for T-shaped talent. In other words, it is important to have both a wide range of knowledge, even if it is shallow, and deep specialized knowledge that you know better than anyone else. This also applies when you are active in the international community. Therefore, in addition to researching your own field of expertise, actively learn about knowledge and ways of thinking in other fields, historical backgrounds, social factors, international situations, and everything else. Face and overcome the various barriers that will stand in your way many times. You will grow each time. Please become a person who can bring peace to the world and happiness to people.
The essence TUAT Technology has been expressed in two words: "solidity." This has been built and supported by TUAT 's long history and tradition spanning more than 140 years, and by each and every graduate who has been active in various fields both at home and abroad. However, today, the world is connected by the Internet, technological breakthroughs in AI are occurring, and our lives are changing at an astonishing speed. In the future society in which you will be active, in addition to "solidity," the words that describe Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology of Agriculture and Technology graduates will be "talented people who continue to challenge themselves." Furthermore, rather than simply keeping up with the changes to come, we hope that you will aim to be game changers, that is, people who take the initiative to bring about change, and develop the ability to travel not only in Japan but also around the world and lead the world. We, Faculty Member, will continue to be at the forefront of the world in various fields and will support you with all our might.
And lastly, there is one more thing that may seem obvious, but is very important. The path of academic research is mentally and physically demanding. You cannot continue without a healthy mind and body. In particular, those who come from rural areas or overseas will likely have many anxieties in an unfamiliar place. Do not worry alone, but talk to your friends, the staff at Health Service Center, and your teachers. Take good care of your health, stay healthy both physically and mentally, study hard, play hard, and lead a fruitful university life. The faculty and staff of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology will continue to make the utmost effort in all areas so that we can provide you with even stronger support.
I hope that all of you who have enrolled today will remember the feelings you have today and will continue to grow as you work towards your dreams. I would also like to once again extend my warm welcome to you as you become part of our university.